1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to efficient removal of debris from a workpiece and, more particularly, to the removal of debris attracted to the workpiece by static charge in an apparatus using jets of ionized air to dislodge the debris.
2. Description of the Related Art
When articles are manufactured of metal or plastic, for example in machining and finishing steps, debris is created which often becomes attracted to the articles by static electricity. A conventional technique for removing such charged debris from a workpiece is to direct jets of ionized air at the workpiece. The force of the air dislodges the charged particles and the ions present in the air neutralize the difference in static charge between the workpiece and the debris. The dislodged debris is then withdrawn from the air surrounding the workpiece by some means, such as a suction or vacuum device. Devices using techniques like that described above are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,939,526 to Mania et al. and 4,313,767 to Bemis et al.
The technique described above results in the workpiece and the dislodged debris having some static charge residue of opposite polarity. The voltage potential of that residue will depend on the density of ions in the ionized air directed towards the workpiece and the grounding characteristics of the environment. The grounding characteristics are related to conductance of the air or gas in the environment and the distance between the workpiece and a well grounded conductor. As a result, the dislodged debris can be attracted to other surfaces until the charge thereon is dissipated. As a result, the cleaning process can take several minutes and typically requires batch processing, rather than continuous assembly line processing of components.